My Pet Monster
by SessKagFan06
Summary: When Sakura found him badly injured in an alley, she certaintly hadn't expected him to start living with her. What has she gotten herself into? And has she just attained her own little pet monster? GaaXSaku R&R AU.WARNING-Six yr age gap.
1. Chapter 1

This is my second real fic and is probably a far greater improvement than the first, hope you like it :)

Disclaimer - No, sadly I do not own Naruto.

Chapter One - Odd Beginings

Truly, she didn't know what she had gotten herself into. She had always been just that little bit too nice, just too kind hearted, and now it was biting her back in the ass.

Sakura had had a rather normal, if not slightly busy day, at the hospital she worked at. She had been headed home at a rather brisk pace due to the rain and had wanted nothing more than to get in, take a nice hot shower and settle down with her loveable cat, Sweetheart. Sadly the fates had something else in mind.

Truthfully she could have just walked on by and ignored his exsistent but the medic in her would never have allowed it and niether would her consiounce.

As she had been walking past a rather dark, if not dangerous looking alley she had paused only briefly at the sound of what she could only assume was heavy, laboured breathing. Sakura due to her profesion and over all nature was nothing if not inquisitive and couldn't help but find the source of the noise. Imagine her suprise when the plain awful breathing she had assumed would belong to an injured dog or some type animal, had belonged to that of a boy, a rather young one at that.

He was unconsiouse and sprawled on the ground in an awkward fashion, as if having been dumped there, which judging by the circumstances she wouldn't be suprised if he had been.

Had she been an average passer by she probably would have left the boy or possibly tryed to wake him, how ever Sakura knew that she should most definitly assess the damage he had sustained before doing anything.

She bent down warily as if she feared he may awake at any moment despite his clearly phsycally exhausted state. She lifted his large hood and froze slightly and gave a slight gasp at the shock of red hair that faced her.

_'How unusual' _she thought to herself, she then gave her head a slight shake _'Says the girl with pink hair' _

She finnally shook her head and focused on the young male before her, she gave him a quick assesment and a frown adourned her pretty features. Things were not looking good. She couldn't be completley sure but from what she'd discovered, he was covered in severe bruising, had a fractured arm, two broken ribs - at least, and if his breathing was anything to go by, she suspected he had a collapsed lung.

She shook her head somenly.

"What am I going to do about you." Not much too her suprise, he didn't answer.

Sakura paused and tryed to think of a plan, the most logical thing to do would be to take him too a hospital but Sakura knew better than that. Sakura maybe rather innocent but she wasn't stupid, his hair, his clothes, his _tattoo _screamed trouble. She knew what the hospital would do, they'd treat him and call the police, it was as simple as that.

She was strapped for options. Sakura was brought abruptly out of her thoughts as his body began to shake, her eyes widened.

"Oh no you don't" She wasted no time in hoisting him up, which was quite remarkable due to her petite form. "Your condition is bad enough, we can't have you catching hypothermia."

It was his unconsious grunt of pain that alerted her to his ankle. _'Great looks like hes sprained that as well.'_

She then procceeded to take him back to her apartment, luckily they were only one block away so she got them there reasonobly fast.

The minute she got him into her apartment, she went through to her bedroom and she placed him on her bed. She took in his still trembeling form and came to an awful conclusion, she had to get him out of his wet clothes.

_'Come on Sakura, what are you doing? You look at naked males at the hospital every single day, whatss so different about this one?"_

Sakura gave a firm nod, yet dispite this she could'nt bring herself to remove his boxers. Luckily her friend, Deidara, was a common vistor of hers and always had a spare pare of clothers stored at her place. She changed him into some grey contton sleeping pants and moved him into a suitable position.

She grabbed a few towels and medical supplies she would be needing and set to work. She washed off the blood and dried him off as quickly as possible and set to work on some of his more serious injuries. She had to repair his lung.

She may be a doctor but her house wasn't a hospital, she didn't have everything. How ever she was smart woman and it didn't take her long to find the nessacary things to fashion a make shift chest tube.

It was hardly perfect but it should work well enough. She procceeded in relieving the pressure and fully repairing his lung. She took his now slower surer breathing as good sign and continued on with her treatment. The rest she finished rather quickly, she sowed up his wounds to prevent infection and bandaged up his torso and and arm. She decided to leave his ankle.

After a gruelling four hours of labour, Sakura finished. She slumped tiredly against the side of her now occupied bed.

She turned tired, curious eyes too her little invalid and took him in fully for the first time. She realised he was not as young as she first thought but was still younger than herself, most likely four or five years younger than herself.

He had enticingly dark red hair, which by her guess was natural. She couldn't help but wonder if it was a s soft as it looked. She shook that thought from her head as quickly as it came.

_'Have you no shame Sakura? He's at least a good three years younger. Now focus.'_

She instead turned her attention to his forehead, what she had orginally thought was tattoo had later been revealed to be a scar. It seemed old and was not likley to have been from tonight, but she couldn't help but find it fasinating.

It was the kanji for love, which she had found odd. Most males she knew wouldn't want such a soft word on thier foreheads and as she looked at his harsh troubled features, she couldn't imagine him wanting it either.

A small knit formed in her eyebrows as she tried to assess the strange creature before her. Eventually she felt her eyelids grow tired and heavy, and she found she couldn't bring herself to resist the temptation known as sleep.

So with final glance at the slumbering male and a quick brush of her fingers across his forehead, she closed her eys.

_'Rest well my little invalid, I'll see you in the morning.'_

A ferocious snarl and heavy weight on her chest was what Sakura awoke to the next morning. Her shocked emerald eyes opened and stared into angry jade ones.

To say she was suprised was an understatment, yet as she stared up at the clearly angry male she couldn't help but think how beautiful his eyes were. Another snarl snapped her out of her trance, as she realised that he was straddeling her and clutching her arms in a most painful fashion.

"Where am I?" it was more of a demand then a question but Sakura answered all the same.

"My apartment." She felt her voice shake slightly and she berated herself inwardly, he was never going to let her help him if he thought she was scared of him.

She was about to ask him to get off her but she suddenly noticed a trickle of blood slide down his arm from one of his now open stitches.

Eyes narrowed she turned angry eyes to the boy and gave a growl good enough to match his own.

"What do you think you doing?" he didn't visibly show it but she saw suprise flicker across his eyes "Your still injured, your bound to be putting too much pressure on your ribs right now, which won't speed up the healing process at all. And look! You've also gone on tore open some of your stitches. Now sit back down on the bed and let me stitch up your arm, _again_."

He stared at the small woman beneath him as if she was crazy. He was holding her down and threatening her and she was worried about _him_. As if coming to some realisation that he was quite badly injured, he winced slightly and held his good arm to his ribs.

She gave him a half hearted glare and began to move from beneath him, he flashed her a warning glare but she merely rolled her eyes.

"Relax, I'm just gonna help get you onto the bed." She began to help him but he tried to push her away.

"I don't need your _help_." he spat at her, she seemed uncaring and procceeded in helping him.

"For starters, yes, you do. And for seconds." She gave him a quick meaningful glance. "I want to help you."

She placed him gently on the bed but he just let out a mocking laugh and turned dull untrusting eyes upon her.

"You don't know me." She seemed once again unnaffected by his cold demeanor and began to get out the tools needed. She was used to it afterall.

"No, no I don't." She admited unashamedly "So therefore I have no reason not to help you."

He gave her a disbelieving glance, before turning blank eyes to the wall before him.

"You logic makes no sense, if you don't know me you have no reason _to _help me, stupid woman." he gave a brief glance to her almost as if waiting for her answer but she didn't look in his eyes, she instead focused on fixing his arm.

"Relax your arm, it'll hurt more if you tense it." He looked at her again, almost as if assessing if he could trust her simple words. She was begginning to grow impatient with his constant wariness.

"Jeeze, seriously! Whats the worst that could happen from relaxing your arm." She snapped at him. "I mean honestly, why would I go through all the trouble of patching you up just to hurt you."

He stared at her angrily and she saw him clench his fist, she watched as his anger escalated as he knew he couldn't say anything. She noticed, at long last, that he slowly relaxed his arm, just his arm.

She smiled softly and began to dab it with alcohol. She felt him flinch but she didn't waver under his glare. She should have warned him it would sting.

He watched her after that, the gracefull way her dainty fingers slowly drew out the old stitches and began on the new ones. The small crease that formed in her brow as she concentrated on her work. He didn't know when it happened but slowly he found himself completley relaxing. He concentrated on the way the cold needle slipped through his skin and was followed by the light press of her much warmer fingers.

He was brought out of his musings as he heard her voice.

"Sakura." he shot her a questioning look and she smiled at him. "My name. It's Sakura. Not stupid woman."

He thought back to there brief conversation from earlier and gave her a short simple.

"Hn." He noticed that she froze slightly, as if his word made her think of something. She merely smiled at him again and began to put away her medical supplies.

"And yours." She asked as she stood from her kneeling postion and felt the blood flow back into her numb apendeges. He didn't answer so she asked again. "Your name?"

He simply looked at her and then back in front of him. She gave an indignant huff and crossed her arms.

"Fine mr. secretive I'll just think of a name for you." He growled at her and shot her a look.

"I'm not some pet you picked up." She was about to retort when realisation flashed in her eyes and she gasped.

"Crap!" She then shot out the room. "Sweetheart!" She called. She dashed into the kitchen to find a rather angry looking cat staring at his food bowl and then at her. He gave a her a grumpy hiss and bit he lip.

"Oh I'm so sorry baby."

_'Great Sakura you can't even remember to feed you cat, and you want to look after a guy?"_

She then stepped around the moody feline and shuffeled through her cupboards for the cat food, after finding it she gave him rest of the entire box to make up for forgetting his supper the following night. She slipped in some tuna as well.

The cat seemed to appreciate the apologetic gesture and began to purr and nuzzle her legs. She smiled and gave him an affectionate ear rub.

After doing so she realised that the so far nameless boy must be hungry as well.

_'Hm, mabey if he has something to eat he'll be less grumpy' _She turned her eyes to the cat now happily laping up it's late breakfast. _'It worked for the cat.'_

She procceeded in makeing a quick simple breakfast of fish and rice with some peaches and a glass of orange juice.

She slowly made her way back to her room and opened the door and crept in. The second she did a pair of angry eyes turned to her.

She inwardly sighed.

"I made you some breakfast." she said warily. Sadly Gaara, unlike her cat, didn't appreciate the gesture as much.

"Hmm, let me guess your gonna feed get me cleaned up and send me on my way eh? Thats your good deed for the week done. After all can't have your precious _sweetheart _coming in and finding a strange unknown male in your bed right?"

She had listened to his rant with wide eyes and as he finished, she found a small mischevious smile light up her face. He seemed to grow more frustrated with her carless attitude and she decided to put him out of his misery.

She sat the tray down before him and flicked him on the nose. His mouth dropped open and he stared infornt of him with widened eyes.

"I can assure you I have no plans of throwing you out anytime soon and I'd just like you to know Sweetheart, is my cat. I forgot to feed him last night so I was in a rush too this morning." She shook her head as she laughed lightly. "Your so silly love."

His eyes widened even further to her disbelief and turned to her abruptly. Sakura couldn't believe the previously rather blank male was looking at her so shocked.

Gaara was having a hard time trying not to hyperventilate. In all his life, Gaara had never been touched so casually by anyone and here this overly familiar female was not only endearing him but calling him, quite fondly, by pet names.

"Love?" Sakura was suprised as she looked at his eyes. Before where they had previously only held either shock and anger they now shone with childlike innocent. Sakura couldn't help but notice how much younger he looked like this.

"You wouldn't tell me you name." she said in an affectionate tone. "I said I'd give you one and since I don't know much about you I decided I'd call you by what your scar says." she shrugged as if talking casually about the weather.

Gaara was confused by this odd suprising woman. He felt almost vunerable around her, something Gaara never felt around anyone. He hated it. Yet at the same time he felt her bright and caring nature was interesting. No one had ever spoke or acted so fondly to him, not even his siblings.

Sakura took his silence as anger and began to fidget under his intense gaze.

"If you dislike it so much I can call you something else, or better yet you could tell me your name?" She sounded hopefull, he raised an non exsistent eyebrow at the childlike curiosity in her gaze and turned his eyes forwards again.

"Do what you like." She seemed put out for a second but the emotion left as soon as it came and she shrugged and smiled once again.

"Okay I'll call you love from now on then." She then sat down at the edge of the bed.

Gaara tried to ingnore the fluttery feeling in his chest at there brief contact.

"So love, how old are you anyway?" He didn't seem suprised by her abrupt question and gave her a short glance.

"Nineteen."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"That young? I had thought you were at least 21, your a good six years younger than me." He seemed taken back by that. This petite woman was 25?

She laughed at his shocked expression and continued.

"Hmm, what was kid like you doing stuck in the middle of an alley left for dead?" He didn't seem to appreciate the jab at his age and growled at her.

She raised an eye brow at him and shook her head at his antics. _'Jesus his mood changes faster than pregnant womans.'_

"Well?" she pushed. He relented.

"I was beaten up." Now she was getting angry.

"Care to put empthasis on that." He was about to shake his head when he noticed the slight twitch in her brow he thought against, as amusing as her anger was Gaara was too tired to listen to it.

"I'm not very well liked by most people. Everyone either fears me or hates me, I've made alot of enemies, one of them decided to get even."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. She may not no much about him but she could tell with one glance he hadn't had an easy life so far. She reached out and pushed as stray bit of hair

from his eyes, he tensed as she made contact but then found himself relaxing as her soft fingers fingers glided across his forehead.

He found himself close his eyes as he began to listen to the gentle thrum of her heartbeat. Gaara couldn't believ how, comfortable he was around this strange pink haired woman, a sudden knot formed in his stomache, what would he do when he had to leave.

He grabed her wrist abruptly and she looked down at him and saw the turmoil in his eyes. She didn't know what was troubling him but she decided not to ask, she retracted her hand and gave him a soft smile.

"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold, I'll be back in a minute." He gave a glum nod and began to eat the food with his good arm. "Call if you need me."

She closed the door gently behind him and went to her kitchen. First things first, she had to call her work.

She picked up her phone and dialled the hospital she worked at.

_"Hello, Mitsuken hospital please state your emergency."_

"Hey Mai, It's Sakura could you get Tsunade for me." she asked calmly as she twiddeled with the phone wire.

_"Oh! Hey Sakura, sure just a sec, I'll put you through."_

"Thanks." she waited patiently until she heard the harsh voice of her boss.

_"Hello?"_

"Tsunsade-sama It's me Sakura, I was just wondering if I could take a day or two off? I'm sorry for the inconvinience and such short notice but an emergency came up." It was silent for a minute and Sakura almost feared the woman was about to scream profanities at her, she was most suprised by the delightful and cheery tone of the woman.

_"Of course Sakura, in fact I insist you take a week off, you need the rest, I'm afraid your going to overwork yourself at the rate you were going."_

"What? Tsunsade thats really not nessacary I -

_"Sakura I insist! Now I'll see you in a weeks time, bye." _

"What!" Sakura stared at the phone in disbelief for a moment. "Geeze I should of know she'd do something like this!" She procceeded by slamming the phone down none to lightly. She paused when she heard the sound of laboured breathing behind her, she swiveled round and saw Gaara stuggeling to walk.

"What are you doing!" she snapped irritably as she went to assist him. "Geeze Love, your gonna tear open your stitches again."

He looked uncaringly in her worried eyes and tried to shrug her off him.

"Thank you, for your help and the clothes."

With that he began to walk towards her front door again. Sakura wasn't having it.

"Oh no you don't" She stood in front of him, arms across her chest. "Who do you think you are! I helped you, fed you, clothed you, took time off work to care for you and you decide to just up and leave?"

He seemed taken back by her want to help him but schooled his features into an emotionless mask. "Theres no point me staying and getting used to things here if I'll just need to eventually leave. It'll make things harder."

She didn't understand his words but she did understand that he was going to leve unless she gave him some sense of security. She placed her hands on either side of his face and gave him a reasurring smile. She didn't wuite know what she was getting herself into, but she did know she didn't want this boy to leave, most likley to end up hurt again.

"Love, you can stay here as long as you like." He froze, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. This odd woman had esentually just offered to let him live there, as long as he wanted to.

Truthfully Gaara didn't know what to think, but he knew he had two options, leave and most likely be found by the people from last time and be killed for sure, or stay here with a kind, caring, beautiful - wait, beautiful? Gaara shook his head and looked down into her hopeful eyes and a tad reluctently, he nodded.

Here eyes brightened and her smiled widened at the news. "Good. Now go back to bed and rest!"

With a glare and an angry mumble he complied. Sakura smiled to herself and watched the irritable male go back to her bedroom.

_'Well' _she thought amusedly _'This will be interesting.' _

First chapter is done, don't know how I'll update this, probably at least once a week.


	2. Chapter 2

I know it's shorter than the first chapter but I had an exam. I'll make up for the length with the next chapter.

Disclaimer - Still don't own Naruto :(

Chapter 2

Gaara was not not happy. Anyone in a 20 mile radius could realise that. He had been at Sakura's house for three days and she was beggining to become a problem.

When he had first met the pink haired woman, he had been weak and vunerable and he had let her get away with ordering him around, something he was beggining to regret.

She acted pleasantly enough towards him, if not slightly overly affectionate at times, however there were times when she thought she could order him around. Like the other day when he had been sat on the sofa watching t.v. and she had practically forced his dinner down his throat after he refused to eat it. Gaara had not appreciated this at all, in fact he had directly told her that if she wanted him to eat her meals she would have to start adding meat to them. Unfortunatley for him, the woman that had taken him in just happened to be a vegetarian, of all things.

Gaara's scowl grew just thinking about it. Gaara was brought out of his inner termoil when the focus of his thoughts stepped through the front door. He turned impatient orbs to her, which she just ignored.

She was late. She had gone grocery shopping over five hours ago and Gaara knew for a fact that grocery shopping didn't take that long.

"Your late." She gave him a quick look as if assesing how she should reply, she setteled on a shrug.

"Sorry Love, I ran into my friend. Your lucky." she called from the open kitchen "He wanted to come back here, but I refused knowing how much he'd get on your nerves. He's overly sociable you see."

Gaara didn't seem to care now he knew where she'd been and merely turned bored eyes back towards the t.v. before him.

She busteled around in the kitchen unpacking her shopping and then started on dinner.

Gaara sat on the sofa as Sweetheart sat contentedly on his stomache, purring like theres no tommorow. Sakura noticed and gave a small pout.

"I've looked after that blighter for four years and he's snuggeled up to you more in the last few days than he has to me in a lifetime." she sighed "I should'a gotten a dog, at least rhey're loyal."

Gaara shot her a glance. "You shouldn't mumble to yourself, people will think your crazy."

She grit her teeth. "I was talking to _you_."

He shrugged rather uncharacteristically . "I wasn't listening."

She let out a growl but quickly returned to her cooking, it may have been only three days but she had found out rather quickly that Gaara was a rather easy to understand person. He was a little quiet and unsociable for her tastes, but other than that she found him reasonbly pleasent. Unless of course he was angry, she shuddered at that. They had argued only once and she truly wished never to see his glare again.

She had learned from her mistakes and now she knew that his family was definitley a touchy subject, one that she wouldn't want to bring up in the future.

She smiled softly to herself as she closed the oven, she went into the living room and sat down beside him, close but not so she was invading his personal bubble.

"Loooove, I got a suprise for youuuu." she faced him with a sly smile on her lips, hoping to pique his curiousity. If she were anyone else she would think that he really couldn't care less, however Sakura had caught that glint in his eye and knew that he was dying to know what it was.

She giggled and said in a sing song voice. "But you'll have to wait till dinn-er!"

He gave her a glare but she ignored it. When she finnaly called him for dinner he was thier faster than she could blink, she chuckled.

She set down a plate before him and awaited his review that he always tended to give her cooking.

"Ta-da! I made fish. As you know I don't eat meat but I can eat fish, which is something that was alive at one point so it counts." By the time she had said that he had eaten a good amount of it.

She smiled and was about to dig into her own as she froze remembering her own words. _'It was alive at one point, it had a fishy family and fishy friends.' _

She gulped as she slowly brought a piece of fish toward her mouth and stared at it. Gaara had seemed to notice her odd behaviour and was now watching her with barley veiled amusment.

"Hurry Sakura before it swims off your plate." Sakura paled at the thought before dropping her fork and running to the bathroom and throwing up.

Gaara almost began to think he had went to far but as he realised _she_ wasn't going to eat her fish, he also realised _he_ could.

Sakura came back fithteen minutes later to find a scowling Gaara lying in a ball on the sofa. She looked back at the kitchen only to find two empty plates in the sink.

She shook her head, as mature as he was for his age he sure could act rather childishly at times.

She ignored his glare as she sat down beside him and handed him a glass of water and pills. He snatched the afore mentioned items and began to sulk. She said nothing as they began to watch the t.v. in a contented silence.

It was at that moment Sakura realised, she hadn't fed the cat.

* * *

Sakura awoke the next morning tired and guilty. Last night was the third time she had forgotten to feed Sweetheart and was begginning to think the cat truly hated her.

Sakura growled as she poured herself coffee, the damn cat loved her red headed guest so why couldn't _he _feed it.

As if said red head could read her mind he appeared behind her and turned a blank stare towards her. "It's your cat Sakura you should at least remember to feed it."

She was going to bite out an angry retort when she blinked as if relazing some great truth.

"Ha! I got it!." She faced him with a glared and he merely looked at her boredly. "This is all part of your plot to steal my cat's affections! Your _trying _to make me forget to feed him so he'll hate me and love _you_."

She laughed haugtily as Garra assessed he sanity. "Well your out of your league buddy, can't trick this gal."

She snickered as she begand to head towards the bathroom. "Well I'm going to shower."

Sakura had been so caught up in her victory that she had forgotten something important.

Back in the kitched Gaara watched as the cat stared longingly at it's empty food bowl before looking at him and letting out a questioning meow.

Gaara shook his head. "Your owners crazy you know."

Gaara, had he not been a completely rational person, would of thought twice at the slight almost unnoticable, inclination of Sweetheart's head.

Gaara blinked. "It must be contagious."

* * *

I'll try to update as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay maybe this isn't exactly as soon as possible but... I HAD REASONS! Honest! Oh well never mind heres the next chapter :)

Disclaimer - Me. No. Own. Naruto. Get it?

Chapter Three

Gaara glanced warily at the female beside him. They had, for some reason unknown to him, began watching many Disney movies and just happened to be on Bambi when she had started blubbering uncontrollably.

At first Gaara had tried to ignore it but it eventually got so loud he wanted to smack the woman. Then Gaara, being the clever guy he was, decided to muffle the sound the only way he could think of on short notice, by pressing her face into his chest.

Apart from a small squeak of suprise no more sound passed her lips and she finnally began to be quiet. Gaara was very thankful of this and was about to apologise when he froze.

He looked down to see her face cradeled against him, her eyes glistening with left over moisture, hair mussed and lips slightly parted. That was all it took for Gaara to snap.

he don't know what happened but he felt a small string of restraint break inside him. He bent down and gave her, a rather hard, kiss.

She gasped in shock and the further parting of her lips compelled gaara to lick her bottom lip as he entered he warm cavern. Gaara found the feeling heavenly.

After seemingly getting over the initial shock she finally relaxed enough to kiss back and tentativley reached her tounge out to brush against his.

Gaara felt himself groan as she did and began to brush his tounge against hers. Slowly they began to battle for dominance, Gaara of course winning.

He then began to slowly carress her hip and slowly slid his hand higher and he was just about to grab her breast,

"Love!" Gaara's eyes snapped open in suprise as he noticed the rather exasperatted looking woman in front of him. She shook her head at him. "Jeeze, I've been calling you for hours! I know your still recovering but you shouldn't sleep every hour of the day, it's not healthy you know."

Gaara in dazed confusment nodded as he ruffeled his bed just sighed at his antics. "I just wanted to ask you what you wanted for dinner, I was thinking of ordering in."

She heard him mumble a dissinterested 'anything' and her eyes widened slightly, Gaara was usually thrilled at eating take away because it meant something she hadn't cooked, which meant something greasy and fried. Giving up she went to the kitchen to order, mumbeling about uncooperative teenagers, when Gaara started to think.

What was with that dream? It had been years since he had dreamt anyway, unless you counted the nightmares, which he didn't. Why had he dreamed about Sakura? In that way? He was so confused, he felt air whoosh past him as his head hit the sofa pillow. Why had he enjoyed it so much?

He was in the middle of organising things in his mind when suddenly thier earlier conversation came into play.

"I want duck Sakura!" he yelled to her "Good meaty duck!" A distressed looking Sakura looked at him suddenly.

"But Love! What if it had little duckling babies! Wouldn't you rather some noodles?" She gave a hopeful smile to which he responded with a hard, stubborn gaze.

"I want duck." Those three simple words ended any hopes Sakura had of changing his mind. She gave a small pout before shrugging.

_'Oh well,'_ she thought absentmindedly _'At least he's acting normal again' _she paused before reconsidering. _'Normal for Gaara anyway.'_

That night Gaara pushed away thoughts of his dream and tried to focus on other things, he also enjoyed his duck and in an act of pity gave Sweetheart some to fill his stomache as the cats own food bowl remained empty once more.

"Oooh Sakura look at that! Wouldn't you kill for one of those!" Sakura turned a bored gaze towards the sparkly handbag her friend was pointing at.

"Yes I suppose so if my pay check had an extra three zeros on it." Ino did not apprieciate her friends humor and let her know it.

"Sakura, can't you just pretend to enjoy it! I mean I'm just trying to cheer you up a bit, it's been ages since you've hung out with us." Hinata turned to her friend and gave a small nod in silent agreement.

"I know Ino. It's just I've been a little busy at the moment I guess. I haven't even called Deidra since last week, the poor boy must think I'm dead."

Hinata gave a brief worrisome glance at that news, knowing Deidra he just might come to that conclusion and if he did he may take drastic action.

"I think I'll just go call Deidra and make sure he's okay." Hinata stated with a pleasent smile, silently thinking _'and that he's alive.' _

Sakura gave a small wave where as Ino barley noticed the quiet woman leave the shop. She shook her head exasperatedly. She knew shopping wasn't really Sakura's cup of tea, but usually she would at least fake enjoyment to keep her happy.

She was about to question her more as she glanced out of the shop window, she gazed briefly at a store opposite and a light suddenly lit up her eyes.

Skaura gave a weary glance at her friend as she noticed a glint light her eye.

"Ino what are you -

She didn't get a chance to finish as she was suddenly dragged out the store by her friend and into another one rather quickly, She was about to question her friends sanity when she was alerted to the sounds of animals.

She looked up before noticing fully that they were in a pet shop. She also realised Hinata had followed after them as she ented behind them.

Turning to her friend with a curious gaze Sakura questioned "Why are we here?"

Ino smiled. "I know you've been busy with that stray -." she paused thinking "Speaking of which although you did briefly mention you took in a stray you never mentioned what type of animal you took in."

Sakura paused, she had been delibratley brief on the details for a reason, if Ino ever found out she had taken in, and was now living with a young man, six years her junior, she would freak, literally. Which Would definitley not be good for Sakura.

"Er, he's," pausing she tried to imagine wether Love would take more offense at being called a cat or a dog, thinking of such things brought an image of Love with floppy ears and a wagging tail. Sakura paled at that. Definitley less offensive to say cat. "Cat Ino, he's a cat."

Raising a single blonde eyebrow Ino gave her a worried glance. She new of Sakura's bad habits when it came to looking after one cat, somehow she imagined having two would be a great deal more difficult for her.

"Okay then. Let's get your new kitty cat a collar!" Sakura panicked when 'collar' left the blondes mouth, she however had no time to protest as Ino was already glancing through the extensive collection of cat collar's.

As both Ino and Hinata presented her thier choices, a glittery purple one and simple plain blue with a silver bell respectively, she said it would be better getting a dog collar as this was a very, very large cat.

_'Oh yes' _she thought wryly_ 'a very large kitty indeed.'_

I did it! I updated finally! Enjoy and please read and review :)


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura was running. Sakura was running faster than she had ever before. She had to save her slightly dramatic, slightly over emotional and slightly exagerated friend, Deidara's life.

Sakura had been having a fine and dandy time shopping with her friends, who she really didn't see enough of, she'd bought a few things (her favourite being a bright red studded dog collar she had gotten a few laughs out of) things had gone great, until a certain phone call.

Sakura had been happy to learn from Hinata that her bestfriend, Deidara, hadn't panicked too much without a word from her for days, but that sooned turned too utter fear when she found the man had taken it upon himself to visit Sakura's new focus of affection, Love.

She'd left in a hurry with no other word's than "Sorry." and " Goodbye." leaving a confused duo behind her, unaware of the murder that could be happening right that second. And what was worst of was Sakura had no way of knowing who would kill who.

Deidara with his jealous and childish nature or Love with his, well, insitnct to kill whatever threaten's him or his possession's, something, much to Sakura's chargin, he had taken to calling her. _'Who knew feeding and caring for something automatically made you it's possession?'_

She wasted no time in running up the flight's of stairs to her apartment, she'd had a brief second where she'd thought perhaps nothing would go wrong and that they'd get to know eachother like normal civilised people, but then she'd heard a shrill yell that sounded disturbingly like Deidara, followed by an angry growl that no doubt belonged to-

"Love!" Sakura yelled. The two men before her froze, forgetting thier anger a moment they turned too see a very out of breath Sakura gazing at them angrily. "Love! Put Deidara down, now."

Gaara slowy lowered the odd blonde man to the floor, removing his grip from the man's shirt he turned to Sakura, hoping an explanation for being jumped on.

Sakura simply stood frozen stuck between two expecting pairs of eyes and for a moment considered just walking away, but thought better of it. So slowly and as calmly as she could she said "Love meet Deidara, Deidara meet Love. Now Deidara, please, step away from the angry and mildly dangerous guy so we can talk about this?"

Deidara however couldn't step away from Gaara, because shortly after the words left Sakura's mouth he had already passed out, cold. Sakura sent a glare toward's Gaara but rather than look apologetic or regretful he looked oddly pleased, Sakura just sighed, _'What am I going to do with these idiots?'_

I know again it's short and again it took forever and a day to update but here it is :)


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